The Schütte-Lanz ''SL 11'' was a German military
dirigible
An airship, dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat ( lighter-than-air) aircraft that can navigate through the air flying under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding ...
built in 1916 by
Luftschiffbau Schütte-Lanz. It was the
first German airship to be shot down while bombing England.
Operational history
The ''SL 11'' was based at
Spich
Troisdorf () is a city in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis (district), in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Troisdorf is located approximately 22 kilometers south of Cologne and 13 kilometers north east of Bonn.
Division of the city
Troisdorf consi ...
and commanded by Hauptmann
Wilhelm Schramm. In the early hours of 3 September 1916, after jettisoning bombs over
Essendon Essendon may refer to:
Australia
*Essendon, Victoria
**Essendon railway station
**Essendon Airport
*Essendon Football Club, in the Australian Football League
*Electoral district of Essendon
*Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington
United Kin ...
, Hertfordshire, destroying several houses, damaging a church, and killing two sisters aged 26 and 12,
it was then shot down over nearby Cuffley by
Lt. William Leefe Robinson flying a
BE 2C using
incendiary ammunition
Incendiary ammunition is a type of ammunition that contains a chemical that, upon hitting a hard obstacle, has the characteristic of causing fire/setting flammable materials in the vicinity of the impact on fire.
World War I
The first time ince ...
. It crashed at
Cuffley
Cuffley is a village in the civil parish of Northaw and Cuffley, within the Welwyn Hatfield district of south-east Hertfordshire, England. Located between Goffs Oak,Cheshunt and Potters Bar, it lies within the London commuter belt, approximate ...
, killing the entire crew, who were buried at
Potters Bar
Potters Bar is a town in Hertfordshire, England,in the historic County of Middlesex Hertsmere Borough Council – Community Strategy First Review (PDF) north of central London. In 2011, it had a population of 21,882.[Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery
The Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery () is on Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, England. The cemetery contains nearly 5,000 burials from both the First and Second World War. The burials are mainly German and Austrian nationals with a very small ...]
in 1962.
Robinson was awarded the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
.
Specifications
*First Flight: 1 August 1916
*Length:
*Diameter:
*Gas Capacity:
*Performance:
*Payload:
*Engines: 4x
Maybach HS-Lu
The Maybach Mb.IV, originally designated Maybach HS, (only related to the Mb IVa by layout and size), was a straight-six piston engine of output, originally developed for use in airships. It was also used for large aircraft such as the Zeppelin-L ...
6-cyl in-line engines: total
See also
*
List of Schütte-Lanz airships
Schütte-Lanz (SL) airship
An airship, dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat (lighter-than-air) aircraft that can navigate through the air flying powered aircraft, under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting g ...
Citations
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sl 11
Airships of Germany
History of St Albans
1916 ships
Rigid airships
Aircraft first flown in 1916
Four-engined pusher aircraft